


Where Dwell the Brave at Heart

by kaiyaa



Series: Whumptober 2019 [1]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Canon Compliant, Crying, Emotional Baggage, Emotional Hurt, Gen, Hogwarts Era, Hogwarts Seventh Year, Hurt, Hurt Neville Longbottom, Hurt No Comfort, Mental Breakdown, Pre-Battle of Hogwarts, Prompt #1: Shaky Hands, Whumptober 2019
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-04
Updated: 2019-10-04
Packaged: 2020-11-23 13:44:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,041
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20893067
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kaiyaa/pseuds/kaiyaa
Summary: His lungs seized with the lack of air, his thighs burning from having spent the last twenty minutes sprinting his way up the ever moving staircases in an effort to escape the Carrows who seemed intent on hunting him down. Something told him they didn’t really care if he ended up dead or alive.





	Where Dwell the Brave at Heart

**Author's Note:**

> So I saw the prompts this year for Whumptober and just knew I had to do them. I can't promise I'll be able to do every single one, but I'm damn well gonna try. 
> 
> Plus, I'm really enjoying writing HP fics for some reason, so I figured I'd fill the prompts for the hp fandom. :D 
> 
> I know I'm like four days behind, but I'm gonna try my best to catch up. 
> 
> **Whumptober Prompt #1: Shaky Hands**
> 
> Enjoy!

The muffled thump of his trainers echoed sharply against the empty corridors of the school as Neville rounded a corner, flinching as a curse missed him by a hair’s breadth, hitting the wall and leaving a small crater where, a second ago, his head had been. 

“There’s no place to hide!” he heard Alecto screech, although it sounded quite far away. He didn’t dare slow down though. 

His lungs seized with the lack of air, his thighs burning from having spent the last twenty minutes sprinting his way up the ever moving staircases in an effort to escape the Carrows who seemed intent on hunting him down. Something told him they didn’t really care if he ended up dead or alive.

As he rounded another corner, he finally skidded to a stop, wheezing harshly as he tried to get his bearings. He leaned against the wall in front of him, coughing as he clutched his left arm, wincing in pain. The tapestry of Barnabus the Barmy hung across from him and he realized he was on the seventh floor. 

He paced, his mind and heart racing, pounding an identical rhythm. His one avenue was to make it to the Gryffindor common room, but he wouldn’t put it past the Carrows to know the entry password, which made that hideout useless. 

Plus, he’d be putting the rest of the students at risk and that’s the last thing he wanted to do. 

_ Bloody hell,  _ he thought.  _ I need to hide from the Carrows.  _

As he turned back around while pacing, he almost yelled out in astonishment as he watched an ornate door slowly materialize in front of him. 

“Of course,” he whispered to himself. This was where Harry had held D.A. meetings back in their fifth year. 

The Room of Requirement. How could he have been so stupid? 

The door appeared just in time, he realized as he heard his name being called out and the footsteps of the Carrows echoed through the passageway, sounding a lot closer. He knew he had mere minutes to conceal himself and didn’t waste time in prying the door open and slamming it shut behind him, waiting with bated breath.

_ I need to know if I’m safe.  _

No sooner had he thought that did a peep hole appear in the door, right at his eye level. He watched as the Carrow siblings ran right up to the wall, sporting looks of pure hatred and annoyance.

“Where’d the bastard go off to?” Amycus snarled. 

“He can’t have gone far. There’s no places to hide and we have all the secret passageways covered,” Alecto stated. “Gryffindor common room?” she suggested and Neville felt his heart skip a beat. 

No. They’d torture and hurt multiple students in an effort to find him. He struggled with himself, wanting to protect his fellow Gryffindors but also knowing that if he revealed himself, he’d either be killed or possibly carted off to Azkaban. 

However, just as he’d made up his mind to protect the others, over himself, Amycus said, “I doubt it. He’s too self-righteous. He wouldn’t hide out among the kids. How many times has he run his mouth at us trying to protect those little blighters?” 

“Yeah, you’re right. He’ll turn up soon enough. Let’s go.” 

Neville watched, stunned as the two Death Eaters started walking back the way they came. He couldn’t believe they’d given up so easily. They were right though. He had nowhere else to go. He’d have to hide out in here as long as possible. He’d figure out the rest later. 

For now, he was safe. 

The adrenaline finally seemed to wear off as his legs out beneath him and he slid to the floor, his back resting against the door. He looked out at the room in front of him. It was fairly small but there lay a hammock strung from the ceiling and at the far end of the room hung a tapestry adorned with a gold Gryffindor lion set against a red background. 

The Gryffindor hangings solidified it for him. He was safe. The castle was protecting him. 

Finally,  _ finally,  _ he let himself break a little. 

His hands shook against his knees that were drawn up to his chest as his chest heaved with each breath in an effort to hold back sobs that threatened to overpower him. 

The weeks and weeks and weeks of torture at the hands of the Carrows, the beatings, the taunts, undergoing the Cruciatus Curse at the hands of Crabbe and Goyle and finally knowing what his parents had to endure, everything he’d been through since the start of this year finally seemed to come to a head.

Luna had disappeared after Christmas and Ginny never showed up after Easter break. Neville felt well and truly alone. He’d relied on them more than he wanted to admit. They’d been some of the first people to offer him true and genuine hands of friendship. 

Not to mention, Harry, Ron and Hermione never showed. He didn’t expect them to, knowing they’d be the biggest targets. In fact, he’d almost been relieved when the Hogwarts Express had left the station and they were nowhere to be seen. 

But he still missed them something fierce. Harry had given him the courage to stand up for what was right and that’s what he’d done ever since the start of his seventh year. He wasn’t going to stop anytime soon, but for now, he was alone and just for now, he couldn’t help but succumb to his emotions. 

While he held in his sobs, the tears escaped, streaming silently down his cheeks as his sharp breaths resounded around the empty room. 

He’d fight. He knew he’d keep fighting until this world was a better place, preferably one without Voldemort and the Death Eaters. 

But right now, as he held his knees to his chest and slowly rocked back and forth, a trembling hand coming up every now and then to wipe away stray tears as he sniffed, he was okay with breaking. 

He’d held it together for so long. It was okay to break. He’d piece himself back together soon enough and he’d be brave. He’d fight. 

After all, he was a Gryffindor.   
  


**Author's Note:**

> I've never written Neville before. But I saw the prompt and this was the first idea that popped into my head. I hope I've done him justice. I adore Neville and I absolutely loved his character development. 
> 
> As always, reviews are love! <3 Thank you for reading!


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